Article of furniture with pivotal seat



1954 H. w. MENDE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE WITH PIVOTED SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 17, 1952 jar/e 716% M% Dec. 14, H w, M N

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE WITH PIVOTED SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1952 fizz/2 225721 wakywam e United States Patent ARTICLE OF FURNITURE WITH PIVOTAL SEAT Harold WrMende,*Flint, Mich., assignor to Samuel G.

Reichman, Flint, Mich, now by change of name to Samuel G. Richman Application lune 17,1952, Serial No. 293,929

13 Claims. (Cl. 155-152) This invention relates generally to an article of furniture and more. particularly is. concerned, with an article of furniture which comprisesa combined ottoman andchair of novel and improved construction.

In. a co-pending' applicationSerial No. 164,510 filed on co-pending application, there is provided a box-like housing which has a back rest member adapted to be disposed in either of two positions, In one position, the backrest member isv disposed horizontally and within the. housing, being hinged along one edge of the housing. The second position. of the back rest member is erect, in. position to support the back of a person seated upon the article of furniture; There is a part, of the backrest member which engages against the edge of the housing to which the same is hinged. The. housing is provided with a top member that isremovably secured thereto so that-same may be moved from its position on top of the housing to permit the back rest member tobe pivoted out of the housing. In normal condition, with. the backrest member located within the housing, the top 'of the. same forms the seat of an ottoman, and the back rest member with all of the hardware associated therewith are concealed. With the back rest member exposed and in. erect, position, the top member or seat is engaged against the front thereof to prevent same from-pivoting upon the seat.

This invention is especially concerned with: a novel manner of connecting the seat-of the article of furniture, and accordingly it is the principal object of this invention to provide a novel and improved connection between the s at or to member of the article of furniture and the housing, whereby the seat may be easily and quickly moved from one to the other of its positions.

Another ob ect of the invention is to provide an article of furniture of the character described in which the seat.

ishingedly secured at the front end thereof inrsuch'a manner that when the seat is pivoted to. expose. the: in.- terior of the housing, the hinge means enables the seat toabe. bracedagainst. aside :ofthe said. housing.

Still a further obi'ect' of the. invention is to provide in'an article offurniturebf the character described, an

articulated seat connection;

Another-object of theinvention is to provide an article of furniture of the character described in which-the seat is. secured in; :a manner whereby itmay be translated.

horizontallyz'along the top of the housing in-"a direction awayfrom? the back rest and thereafter pivoted upwardl-yt erably;Upholstered. Thus,..when the back rest. member is erect, itis preferred that it; engageupon the rearedge of-the. seat to, formaa cornfortablesandt attractive cornea The; most desirable, arrangement, would. be, for. the. bottom.

of Jthe. back.rest; to.- overlap .and.engage upon. the rear:

done. if. the. Path; will; the blocked by the;back rest member. Likewise-,

part..- of.. the seat. Obviously.v this; cannotibe. seatmust PlZVQlZIabQllti'tliflfidgQ.Oilihd housing,

2,696,870 Patented Dec. 14, 1954 if a small amount of clearance is left, so that the resilience of the back rest andseat upholstery are depended upon to enable one to passthe. other, there will be scratching of the upholstery surface and unusual wear..

The construction referred to in connection with the aforementioned object, enables the seat to be translated away from, and hence out from under the bottom of the back rest member, so that when pivoted about its axis thereafter it completely .clears the. back rest member. Thus the back rest member may be upholstered as fully as the seat, there being no limitation to its thickness.

Many other objects of the invention spring from the construction. .For example, one object is the provision.

of..a seatsmore. easily manipulated; another is. the provision of an. article of furniture in which the seat may be. moved to a position firmly: engaged against the standards of. the back. rest member to retain same in positive erect position; another is to provide an extremely simple and sturdy hinged connectionfor. the seat and one in which the hinge. or connector member is never subjected to forces tending to pull same away from its fastenings or strain the same; another .is to provide an article of furniture of the character described which. can be constructed economically while still performing the functions ascribed to same.

With thesev objects in view, and others which will occur as the description of the invention proceeds, the invention consists of certain constructional features and arrangement of parts set forth hereinafter and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being obvious that great variation in dimensions, form and minor details are capable of being made without departing from the spirit ofor varying from the scope of the invention.

In accordance with the patent statutes, there has been set forth in considerable detail a preferred embodiment of the inventionv shown in the drawings-and described in considerable, detail in the specification hereinafter set forth, wherefrom one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains may be able to understand the invention and practise the same, and may have full'knowledge of the contribution that has been made to the arts and sciences by the; said invention.

In the drawings, in which the same or similar characters of reference. designate the same or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an article of furniture comprising a combined ottoman and chair, constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the same with the back rest member concealed and the seat member in nor mal position on top of the housing.

Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive are views similar to that of Fig. l but the series comprising progressive views showing the manner in which theback rest member is erected so that the article of furniture is converted into a chair. Thus, Fig. 2 shows the article of furniture after the seat member has been moved forward, partially uncovering the housing interior;- Fig. 3 shows the seat member pivoted about the front end of the article of furniture and braced in= erect'condition'against the front wall of the housing, thereby completely exposing the interior of the housing; Fig.4 shows the back rest member pivoted from its horizontal position within the housing to the erect position outside of the housing; Fig. 5 shows the seat member the space between the upholstered portion of the back rest member and the top of the housing thereby completely closing off the opening of the housing, and completing the conversion of the article of furniture into a chair.

Fig.7 is a median sectional'view through the article of furniture While same is in the condition illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is av fragmentary sectional view taken through the connection between the seat portion and the housing showing .thc 'disposi'ti'onof the parts-thereof relative one to theotherwhile the: seat is 'being'moved from the position shown irr-Fig. 1 toits position in Fig. 2.

Fig. 91is aview-similar to that of Fig. '8 except with the seatmemberi'n the positionv illustrated in Fig.

Fig.j; 10i's"a sectional view through the-article of furniture taken along the line -10 of Fig. 9 and in the direction indicated.

Generally the article of furniture of the invention is constructed as a foot-stool or ottoman, suitably upholstered and of a size comfortably to seat a person. There is a framework forming a hollow housing of box-like formation, and the seat member is secured to the framework to pivot, generally about one upper edge of the housing or base. The seat member is capable of being pivoted from one position where it completely covers the entire top of the base to a second position where it is erect and uncovers the top of the base to give access to the interior thereof. The position assumed by the erect seat member is with its pivoted end engaged against the outside of the base and braced against the wall thereat, a substantial distance below the upper edge of the base. Simultaneously the seat is connected to pivoting means that extends over the edge of the wall against which the seat member is braced, and connects on the inside of the hollow base a substantial distance below the upper rim or edge of the base. Thus, the seat member is virtually supported by the edge and wall.

At the opposite end of the connection of the seat member is provided a back rest member which comprises a back rest pad secured on the end of an elongate frame, the opposite end of the frame being pivotally secured within the base or housing so that the back rest member may be pivoted from one position horizontally arranged within the base to a second erect position outside of the base. The frame is provided with bends offsetting the back rest pad from the pivoted end of the frame to form shoulders which engage the upper edge of the wall thereat, and also to enable the seat member to cover the entire top of the base or housing. The back rest pad may be suitably upholstered and extend a substantial distance forward as to overhang the base or housing, and with the base or housing providing a sort of groove or seating recess within which the free end of the seat member may be engaged when it is moved to cover the housing.

The pivot connection of the seat member with the housing is articulate, there being an angular coupling having one end pivotally secured within the housing and the other end pivotally secured within the bottom of the seat member. Each of the seat members and the housing is therefore capable of rotating relative to the coupling or articulated hinge member so that the axis about which the seat member is rotated may be moved prior to rotating same. Thus, to pivot the seat member from the box or housing, it is first slid away from the end of the housing to which the back rest member is pivoted. This of course Will shift the rotation axis of the seat member and is accomplished by causing the articulated hinge member to swing from one position to another. At the end of its movement, the bend of the articulated hinge engages the edge of the housing wall, and the seat member is then swung upward. By this expedient, the overhang of the back rest pad member will not interfere with the seat member, and the advantages referred to will be engendered.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference character 20 designates generally the article of furniture constructed in accordance with the invention. Same generally consists of a base 22 of hollow box-like construction which serves as a housing for storing articles and the like and within which the back rest member 24 is adapted to be disposed when concealed by the seat member 26. The articulated hinge member is designated generally 28.

As Will be noted, the base or housing 22 is formed of four side walls 30, 31, 32 and 33, and is closed off on its bottom by a floor or bottom wall 34 and is mounted on suitable legs or the like 35. The base member or housing 22 may have its walls padded or upholstered in any suitable manner as indicated by the reference character 37 and may be covered with leather, plastic sheeting or other attractive upholstery covering 38. The constructional details of the housing 22 are well-known and capable of wide variation of construction.

The housing 22 provides an interior chamber which is designated 40 for convenience and within which the back rest member 24 is adapted to be disposed when the article of furniture is not used as a chair (Figs. 1 and 7). Considering the portion of the article to which the back rest member is pivoted at the rear thereof. the side wall 31 comprises the rear wall, and the side wall 33 comprises the front wall. The back rest member 24 comprises a back rest pad 42 which is upholstered in any desired manner for comfort and attractiveness, and having any desired thickness; an elongate frame formed of a pair of tubular members 44, the end of the tubular members 44 extending a substantial distance into the back rest pad 42 and being secured thereto. This is indicated by the roken lines 44 of Fig. 7. The free (left-hand) end of the tubular frame members 44 may be in the form of a loop secured into the back rest pad in any suitable manner. The secured (right-hand as viewed in Fig. 7) ends of the frame members 44 are pivoted at 46 to suitable brackets 4t fastened to the inner face of the rear wall 31 as for example by screws or the like. Preferably, the brackets 48 are channel members which have the pivot pins or bolts extending between the arms thereof, the ends of the tubular frame members being pierced to receive such bolts or pins and being straddled by the respective channel members.

The channel members 4-8 are each secured to the rear wall 31 on the interior thereof by suitable Wood screw 50 or the like as shown in Fig. 7. The tubular frame members 44 each have two right angle bends therein as indicated at 52 and 54 whereby to form an offsetting shoulder 56 in each of the tubular members 44. As will be seen in Figs. 4 and 5, these shoulders are positioned relative to the pivots 46 such that when the back rest member 24 is in erect position, the upper edge 58 of the rear wall 31 supports the same and limits the backward pivotal movement of the said back rest member 24. That portion of the frame members 44 to which the back rest pad 42 is secured is thus offset rearwardly a substantial amount. Preferably the back rest pad 42 is secured so that its face is substantially over the housing 22. Thus its lower end 6% will overhang the housing, and there will be formed a sort of groove or recess defined by the lower end 60 and the shoulders 56 and which includes the upper edge 58 of the rear wall 31 and portions of the upper edges of the side walls 34) and 32. This groove or recess is intended to be occupied by the free end of the seat 26 when same is in proper position completely covering the base 22, and obviously when the back rest member is erect, the seat end cannot enter this recess in a pivoting movement. The recess is generally indicated by the bracket 62 in Fig. 4.

In order that the seat 26 be snugly engaged upon the top of the housing, even when the back rest member 24- is erect, there are provided notches 64 in the upper edge 58 of the rear wall 31 into which the shoulder portions 56 are intended to engage, but such notches may be provided in the edge of rear wall 66 of the seat 26, if desired as shown at 64 in Fig. 2 which is a minor variation of the construction.

Referring now especially to Figs. 7 to 10, the connec tion between the seat 26 and housing 22 is articulated, that is to say the connection between them consists of a pair of pivoted joints with a link interposed between the joints. This is the definition of articulated as intended herein. In this manner, each of the connected parts is capable of pivoting about one end of the link thus enabling the sliding movement referred to hereinabove. In Fig. 7, the articulated connecting means 28 which may be referred to for convenience hereinafter as a hinge is formed of a pair of identical L-shaped links 70 positioned on opposite sides of the article of furniture and connected together by a cross bar 72. The said cross bar is not an essential part of the connection insofar as basic operation is concerned, but is practically almost indispensible because it forces both of the link members 70 to operate in unison, provides a more sturdy and rigid mounting, and eliminates twisting and lateral sway of the seat 26 during pivotal movement thereof. The description of the links and the manner of their connection and operation may be considered as though there is no cross bar connecting them.

As shown in Figs. 7 through 10, the links 70 each have one end pivotally secured to the inside of the housing 22 a substantial distance below the upper edge thereof. Thus the right hand link 70 has its lower end pivoted at 74 to the inner face of the right side wall 30 while the left hand link 70 has its lower end pivoted at 76 to the inner face of the left side wall 32. The seat 26 of the article of furniture 20 is formed as a rectangular frame of joined members of wood or the like, providing a rear wall 66, front wall 78, and side walls 80 and 82.

The seat frame is of a. plan configuration to coincide lttltiwibfilifiyfiditlthaitt'thfi: iinvcntionn shouldu bezzreadilytr understondztand: appreciatedalfromnthe iahovenandlritsiszis The ."seat .1s'lprefierablytupnolsteredrbwmeans ofu'thecr desiredz-to pointroumthatrthe:samea is tcapablenof;being same types-of: padding 3 7' andicoveringi r38r used tonupw practised with;oonsidenablervariation;in: the; minor-details 1, holstercboth ith'e outside of: the: base ZZrand'thmseatspadw 5 ofsthe StI'zIlCIUI'QShQWHf andtdescribjedr;v For'examplezthe. 42s,: The) type:- iofi: .upholsterinlg is: immaterial .OWlhfi'iiIlE-i" rectangular; shape: ofwthe: articlezof-i furniture; issonlywby vention,: :but i as i shown, a shallow cavity is formed. on the-interior: of the: seat :26taS designated 84--which;' 'isrr Of1I'CO1'1II6CIl11g{;th; parts thenuse of.different-materials;v convenient; fore the; accommodation-F the crossbar .72 thez'upholsterygwalbiare asmat-terr of ordinary, design; -and,- 1 1n its swinging movementgandalso unden' certainiiconm10 ther inventionvisi-capablevof?being practised irrespective dit-ions's for therbackxrest memberwZAkif 3 samexis: of: 'a 1 of ithe particular design. Solidnrodsaresuitablein place size. to extend upwardnbeyondthew-upper edges of the: of the tubemformingsthe:fname-membersrM;and as-.;a,- sidewalls;.ohthezhousingu22when it is disposed; asshown matterzofipracticability, Suchimemberscan.bemade.quite in-Figs. 1,12, 3i"and;i7 thin through; the use otrrodssa The; upper-.ends-oii the-links 70*are; pivotally securedtowt1. Whats is,-desir edn to.-rsecur.e;-1by;-1Letters. :Patentof the, the inner faces of the side walls of:they.seatiframeguthev United/States; istz, pivot '86; being: secured .toxthe; wall 80*? and! the: pivot 88 hv i In: an: antiele: ofi. furniture; of ,the character described beingusecunerl-wto theewall 82.; and-which includes anupwardly opening hollow housing, In: therv'connectiomcbetween the-aseat =26 and-, 'therhousin-g and -aseat; adapted completely/,1 tozcover' the housing and 22;.thezre are two rotative; axes,.ionetcoinciding :witln the v! having, av downwardlygopening,,hollowrspacentherein aw pivots;86 andr88-,-.and-theaotherwcoincidingwithi-the pivots-q connection betweenfither-seat and,housingcompnising an- 74t-and '76:! Int moving =the seat-r from itsa :positionzs asv L-shaped hinge-connected betweenuthe;seattandnhousing showmin Figssl and-r7 to thepositionashown-in;Figs-:3 and-:having one: end pivoted, to: the: interior ofiitheiseatn and=9 (broken-lines: in'. this: lastmfigurefir firs. other-seat and-the other endtpivoted to -thcainteniorof thehousing 26 is translated--to.the lefit .asyiewed in :Figt k Thisrrislitnwith=thesangleaoft the-t. opening .-;towar,d anendnofrthenontruly a translation; si ce -the-,-left ,hand: end' will rise article of.-furniture whereby thenseatmaybetranslated slightlyduringthe movement astindicated in Fig-.68.,zbuh along; thetop of the housing tobringihe: seat endtoverw if'thelengtht ofii the liriksflll is:notwtotrgreat'there::will... andatbey fi sing endvafternwhich .the seatnmay. beaveny small-rise: Thewright/hand end OflICOIdISC": be:-swung upward t'oiuncoveritheiopening theibendbeing will, remainnengageduponz the upperwedgesofi. the-wside.afioislocatedi .so nthat-sameengages the. stop, of thenhousing wallsi30- and-32: .throughontthistransmitting;movement.. when-ttheH-seatvhas, been tswung upward whereby towsup- During this movement,-thelinks 'Ztlswing ;abou-trtheirw port said seat in erect condition; pivots,- 74F1Kd 7& thereby" carrying the axis defined by the; 2. Ana article. of ,furniture which comprises 7 a, hollow pivot-s: 86nand 88. .inwa path indicatedrgenerally 'byEJthe-w. housing p ningupwaixl-andavinga,seat memberth'erea broken lines 90 of Figs. 8 -andu9 The-.-horizont-a-l -posi2-35;.;0n adap.ted tobe:movedrbetween.covering,,anduncovering tion oi thecseat '26-.du'ringi thismovement; is. substanpositions; theiseat-smemben completely, coveringthe said, tially maintained! until: the posi-tion'indicateddn Figs,;2 housing,,when inl saidl covering position aback rest andt 9 is reached. There isrelativemovement,betweerr.- member. pivotally securedlto the interiorofi thehousing the links-70 and-tthesseat 26,, zbut it is actuallythere-w and havinga. backv restipad, thebackrest, member being. volving; of "thealinks. about theirpivot-sit As a -ma-tter 40g sw1ngableffromapositionarranged horizontally andwithof fact, 'inthe arrangementspecifically shown, it is im-i in the housingnto a'.:position,.wherein.. same. is: erect, at possible to pivot the: seat-26=:aboutthelinks 7'0'ifrom the anuendiof the. housing the back. restsmember having a, condition, illustrated in Figs. 1 and-7 while the a-r-ticlefeafiwardly Offsei POYIiOn dndfiaid'bimkwmsL P ofhfurniture 'is being used. astannottoman, secured tothe saidrearwardlYloffsetportion buthaving Theiposition-lofr Figs. 2 .and-.9 having. beenraehieved :45,,a substantial. pant ,there of',ove1'.hang ingi the housing, theaendt-92' ofi the seat 26r=is now-unobstructed,andr th the seatvmember having;hinged'connection with. the end entire. seatcanbepivoted about the-axis. defined by' ofjisaidlhousing oppositethe. endito. which the said, back the/pivots SGWandi-SS During :t-hispivoting. movement, restmember is connected, .saidhingedlconnection having theilinksv 70 remain. stationary andndounot pivotrelative a pair'ofparallel' axes with interposed'linkineans whereby: to the axis definediby thenpivotst74-and= 76. In-order. v theseat member may be slidbeneathlthe said overhang: to carrythe end-92 farenoughsbeyond: the wall- 33 to ingpart and alsopivotallyswung about said'opposi-teend give it clearance so that an erect condition as illustrated. to uneoyeringhpositiona in Figs. 3 and 4 and in the broken lines of Fig. 9' can 3.?Aiconstruction asidescribedin claimZin which the be achieved ieach of the links 70' hasa bendx94 interlinkl means, comprises a, pair of links rigidly connected mediate its ends. Preferably the bends are located so one'to the otherrand' pivoted at" their respective ends that they will coincide with the top-edge of the front to'the interior-of theseat'member and .the interior 'of wall 33o Thus, the wall edge helps=support theerect the housing tdprovide an articulated hinged "connection: seat, while the: bottom of the. endn92l ofi the =.seat2 26; 4. 'A construction 'ast'described in claim 2 in'which'the engages again'stthe outside padding ofthevwall 33. This link means'comprises ankle-shaped link' opening toward provides a minimum of strain on theipivots of the-links; said-opposite end wherebyywhen the, seat memberis in" tending to prevent loosening or pulling out of the same. uncovering position the; angle of the L. will be braced".

With the seat 26' crect as shown, the previously conagainst said opposite end. cealed .back rest member 24 may be rotated out of. the. 5." I'n"an article'offurnitnre'of the classdescribedand interior 40 of the housing 22 and. alsoherectedetov-the havinggpa box-like housin'gwith upstanding wallsg'a seat position shown :in Fig. 4, thereby gfoiming thearecess mounted'ontop' ofthehousing and engagedon the upper 62." Now the seat 26 is'returned to its former position, edges;ofrthe, wallsg'means'pivotally securing the. seat to but the movements are reversed as to order. First the enable" sameto be moved between positions-coveringor seat is rotated about the pivots S6 and 88 until it overuncoveringthe top-"of the-housing, and comprisingan lies the top edges of the housing walls, as shown in Fig. 5 articulated connection between the seat and the housing and once having achieved this position, the seat is transpermitting both translative and swinging movement of the lated to the right until its end 92 engages in the said seat, said connection including a U-shaped member havrecess 62 thereby completing the conversion from ottoing its arms formed as links with the opposite ends of man to chair. each link pivotally secured respectively to the seat and There are features of the construction which are not the housing so that translative movement of the seat apparent from the description, but which it is desired will rotate said links about their pivotal securement to to emphasize at this time. In effect the seat is locked said housing, and swinging movement of said seat will upon the housing and the back rest member is locked rotate same about the pivotal securement of said links in place. Since it is impossible to lift the seat 26 in a to said seat. pivoting movement first, one sitting on the extreme for- 6. In an article of furniture of the class described and ward edge of the seat cannot lift the rear end thereof. having a box-like housing with upstanding walls, a seat In pushing the seat forward, as would occur by an ocmounted on top of the housing and engaged on the upper cupant slouching down in the chair and pressing his back edges of the walls, means pivotally securing the seat to against the back rest member, the weight of the occupants enable same to be moved between positions covering or body upon the seat prevents the required rising of the uncovering the top of the housing, and comprising an forward end (see Fig. 8) thereby preventing forward articulated connection between the seat and the housing sliding of the seat. permitting both translative and swinging movement of wi-tlritlie;:planza'configuratiomo therthousingztnt that in normal: association; they onc rests; on thezwotherzrr,

way ofipresentingzarsimple version thlereoffl Theimannen the seat, said connection including a pair of link members connecting opposite edges of the seat with opposite edges of the housing and being pivotally secured to the seat on an axis normally spaced inwardly of the end of the housing when the seat is in covering position, the link members being also pivotally secured to the housing along an axis enabling the links to be rotated while the seat is moved generally toward said end to enable the first mentioned axis to be moved towards said end, said links being rigidly connected one to the other to move in unison.

7. In an article of furniture of the class described and having a box-like housing with upstanding walls, a seat mounted on top of the housing and engaged on the upper edges of the walls, means pivotally securing the seat to enable same to be moved between positions covering or uncovering the top of the housing, and comprising an articulated connection between the seat and the housing permitting both translative and swinging movement of the seat, said connection including a pair of link members connecting opposite edges of the seat with opposite edges of the housing and being pivotally secured to the seat on an axis normally spaced inwardly of the end of the housing when the seat is in covering position, the link members being also pivotally secured to the housing along an axis enabling the links to be rotated while the seat is moved generally toward said end to enable the first mentioned axis to be moved towards said end, said link members having a bend therein whereby to dispose said first mentioned axis substantially outside the said end at the completion of said seat movement to permit the seat to be rotated thereafter, said links being rigidly connected one to the other to move in unison.

8. In an article of furniture of the character described and which includes an upwardly opening hollow housing and a seat member movable between positions covering and uncovering the housing, a back rest member pivotally secured to the housing and being swingable from a position arranged horizontally to and on the interior of the housing to an erect position at an end of the housing, the member having its bottom edge spaced above the upper edges of the housing and substantially overhanging the housing when in said erect position, the seat member having an end thereof received in said space when in said covering position, a hinged connection between the seat member and the housing enabling the seat member to be translated horizontally in a direction to remove said end thereof from the space and thereafter to be pivoted upwardly in a movement clearing the back rest member to uncover the housing.

9. An article of furniture comprising a box-like housing having a pair of spaced end walls and side walls defining an upwardly opening chamber therebetween, a seat member mounted on top of the housing and arranged to be moved between positions covering and uncovering the chamber, a back rest member pivotally secured on the interior of the housing adjacent one end wall and pivotal between an erect position substantially overlying the chamber with the bottom edge of the back rest spaced above said one end wall, an articulated connection between the housing and one end of the seat member permitting both substantially horizontal translative and swinging movement of the seat member, the seat member having its free end received in said space when in covering position and capable of translative movement in a direction removing the free end from said space whereby to permit swinging movement of the seat to completely clear the back rest member when uncovering the chamber.

10. An article of furniture comprising a box-like housing having an upwardly opening chamber therein, a seat member movable between positions covering and uncovering the housing, a back rest member secured to the housing adjacent one end thereof in an erect position with its bottom edge spaced above the top of the housing and substantially overhanging said chamber, the seat member having a free end thereof received in said space when in covering position on the housing, an articulated connection between the housing and the seat member adjacent the end of said seat member diametrically opposite said free end permitting the seat member to be translated substantially horizontally in a direction to remove said free end from said space and thereafter to be pivoted in a movement clearing the back rest member to uncover the housing.

11. An article of furniture comprising an upwardly opening housing provided with a top edge, a seat member movable between positions into and out of engagement with said top edge, a member secured to the housing adjacent a side thereof in an erect position with a back rest pad secured thereto, the pad having a bottom edge spaced above the top edge of the housing and the face of the pad substantially spaced inward of said side so that the pad overhangs the top edge, the seat member having a free end thereof engaged in the space between the pad and the top edge of the housing when in engagement with said top edge, an articulated connection between the housing and the seat member adjacent the end of the seat member diametrically opposite said free end and permitting the seat member to be translated substantially horizontally in a direction to remove said free end from said space and thereafter be pivoted in a movement carrying same to said position out of engagement with the top edge without interfering with said pad.

12. A structure as defined in claim 11 in which said member having said pad secured thereto has the pad on one end thereof, and has an opposite end mounted on the interior of the housing, there being an intermediate stepped portion overlying the upper edge of the side adjacent which said member is secured, and the free end of the seat member engages over the stepped portion when said seat member is in engagement with said top edge.

13. A structure as defined in claim 12 in which the said opposite end is pivotally mounted on the interior of the housing and the member together with pad is capable of being pivotally swung into the interior of the housing to conceal the same when the seat member is out of engagement with said top edge, said seat member serving to prevent such pivotally swinging movement when said seat member is in position in engagement with said top edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,940,259 Lindemann et al Dec. 19, 1933 2,357,214 McDole Aug. 29, 1944 2,591,271 Levereth Apr. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 220,225 Germany Aug. 17, 1910 240,085 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1925 

